emotionalpeacehttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com
Finding hope and peace through writing, art, photography, and faith in Jesus.Tue, 20 Mar 2018 04:11:25 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngemotionalpeacehttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com
Right Relations / From Family Relationships to a Relationship with Godhttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/right-relations-from-family-relationships-to-a-relationship-with-god/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/right-relations-from-family-relationships-to-a-relationship-with-god/#respondTue, 20 Mar 2018 04:05:05 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/?p=9690Continue reading Right Relations / From Family Relationships to a Relationship with God→]]>As you see I am continuing my work on ‘Right Relations’. This is not an easy journey that I am on, but it is one that I must take if I want a better relationship with Christ. This work is far from perfect and it is very rough and it is still hard for me to believe that I am sharing this before it is finished but as I have previously mentioned I feel led to share my progress. So please don’t judge me too harshly but I do appreciate any comments you have to share. So here is my next installment.

From Family Relations to A relationship with God

Your first relationship began the day you were conceived. As God formed you in your mother’s womb, you were nourished, protected, could hear her voice and her heartbeat. You felt what she felt and she felt you growing and moving around inside of her. Some of us could not wait to get out of that womb and burst out on the scene a little early and others wanted to stay in the warm safe place we knew. The rest of us came in about the time we were due to make our exit and enter the world. Now the first face we saw was the doctor or whoever delivered us, but we were quickly placed into her welcoming arms. Then for those who had a father he would be the next to hold you.

So our first relationships we have were not by our choice we were born into this relationship of child and parent, There is one other relationship you have had since your beginning and it has been one with our Heavenly Father. We may not have known His name when we were born but He has been with you before you were conceived in your mother’s womb, and He is the One who has loved you like no other on earth. However as we grow from infancy into adult, we do not always know of Him. There are many different reasons this happens. Some are raised in homes that do not believe, and others may be raised in homes going to church but never know the love of Jesus. Then there are the broken marriages, the single parent who they themselves do not have a relationship with Christ. This list goes on and on.

Whatever type of family you grew up in does affect how you relate to God. Since He is our Heavenly Father, He is a parent. How our relationship with our earthly parents does have an initial impact on how we relate to Him. For those who were raised in good homes with parents who love God, you grew up with a healthy relationship and had a good foundation for your relationship with Him. Some had a good upbringing with little to no hardship, but God was not part of your life as you were raised and He was just a name you heard but knew nothing truly about. You may have even gone to church on Easter and Christmas. You did things as a family but He was never invited to join you. Then the rest of us who were raised in abusive or neglected we have a different history.

So what was your childhood like? Did you have a stable home with loving parents? I hope you did, but if you are reading this you probably did not. Yet you want a better relationship with God, but you do not know how to or what is keeping you from this. This book will not fix you or your relationships. I am writing this to help you find your way closer to Him. Not because I know it all, because trust me I do not. This is my journey on wanting a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ. You see He has revealed to me one of the things hindering my relationship with Him is the relationships I have had since I was born. Not only with my parents but with anyone who has been a part of my life. Each relationship affected who I was and He is transforming me into who He wants me to be. This does not mean I am a terrible person, or that I am unworthy of love. It means He wants better for me. He loved me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus to die for me. Just as He has done for you. We are to die for! There are some who have said they would die for you but He actually did it. If we were not worth the price He paid He would not have done it, but that is the value He placed on us. Blood, sweat, tears and finally laying down His life, He paid to redeem us. Telling us He loves us and no matter what we have done we are forgiven. He wants in our lives, and not just when the church doors are open, but to be in our lives every second of everyday. He does not want religion but a relationship with you, and not just for a day, a week, a month, or years but for eternity. Now that is commitment!

Look around and at your own life. How many broken relationships do you see? How many broken homes without any glimpse of love do you see? Yes there are good relationships and loving families, but how many of those do you see? In this world the broken and abusive homes outnumber the strong and loving ones. It is time for that to change. We cannot fix the homes of others until we allow God to fix us. He can only do this if we allow Him in and give Him charge over us. Yes that means we submit our lives to Him. I have to admit that I let Him into my life but I have not completely submitted all of me to Him. I have held back and been unwilling to give up total control of my life to Him. This is not a new revelation to me. It is something I have been struggling with for a while. I knew I need to as some say, ‘Let go, and let God’, but there has been something holding me back, and that something has been me. I recently started saying, ‘Got to get out of God’s way’. This does not mean that the enemy has not been throwing every obstacle he can in my path, but I don’t have to let what the enemy does stop me from what God wants me to do, and that is surrender. So this book is my white flag of surrender as I look at my own life and see what I have allowed to keep me for where He wants me to be, and that is right by His side.

So let’s take a look at my relationship with my parents, and you can look at your relationship with yours.

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]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/right-relations-from-family-relationships-to-a-relationship-with-god/feed/0sheppajaMy Own Worst Enemyhttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/my-own-worst-enemy/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/my-own-worst-enemy/#respondSat, 17 Mar 2018 03:47:05 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/my-own-worst-enemy/Comfort & Challenge: Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window): Psalms 22; 148, Exodus 2:1-22, 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3, Mark 9:2-13 Identity is a funny thing. We think of it as an internally generated sense of self, but in large part it is externally imposed upon us. The world’s opinion of us does not change…]]>

Identity is a funny thing. We think of it as an internally generated sense of self, but in large part it is externally imposed upon us. The world’s opinion of us does not change who we are, but it does change who we are allowed to be. Take Moses, for example. As a male Hebrew infant, he was considered a potential enemy and targeted for death by the king of Egypt. When the king’s daughter pulled him from the river where his mother had set him afloat in a basket, he became part of the royal household. Scripture doesn’t say how or when he learned he was Hebrew, but by adulthood he was sympathetic to the plight of his people. After he killed an Egyptian taskmaster for beating a Hebrew, his position in Pharaoh’s house no longer mattered…

]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/my-own-worst-enemy/feed/0sheppajaRight Relations Require Workhttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/16/right-relations-require-work/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/16/right-relations-require-work/#respondFri, 16 Mar 2018 03:34:38 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/?p=9686Continue reading Right Relations Require Work→]]>You have to work at making a relationship work.

All of your relationships are going to require effort on your part. I know right now you probably just thought, ‘What about the other person?’ We cannot worry about what the other person in the relationship is or is not doing. We need to think about what we need to do or stop doing to make this relationship work.
When a child is born, they do not just stand up and start taking care of themselves. They need love and caring for to grow and be healthy. You protect your child, and make sure they are fed and clothed. You also do things to make them happy.(Well at least until they become a teenager, but that is another topic.) Personal relationships do not just happen. They take two people coming together. There are your family relations. These relationships you were born into and you did not get to choose which family you were born into. Then there are your friendships. These are people you chose to get to know and let into your life on a personal level. You also have the relationships you form with those you work with. These relationships may never get very personal but you will be spending a good part of your time with them since you work with them. You can’t pretend they are not there, so you will have to interact with them. Some of these relationships might be one-sided, because only one of you will be putting any effort into this relationship. Some relationships will die from neglect.
We cannot control another’s behavior or demand they do what we want them to do, We decide for ourselves how important the relationship is and work at what we need to be doing. Do not think that you will have to put in all the effort by yourself though. If both people are not working together the day will come when the relationship will end. We do not want to allow ourselves to be neglected, used or abused. If this is happening we are not in a right relation. This is a subject we will discuss in another chapter.
So what are ways that we can work on a relationship?
Here are a few things you can do.
1. Listen to the other person. Not just hear what they are saying but pay attention and listen. Too many of us hear what the other is saying but are so preoccupied with our own thoughts or what we want to say, we do not truly hear what the other is actually saying. How many times have you said things like, ‘That’s nice’ or here is one you will probably get from your child, ‘Uhuh.’ Then here is one more, ‘Yes dear.’ This one gets a lot of men in trouble because they just said yes to something, that if they had been paying attention they would have said no to. Communication is an important tool in making a relationship work.
2. Show them that you appreciate and value them. Little things mean a lot more than spending money on what will not last. Materiel objects no matter how nice or expensive they might be will not mean as much as a thoughtful gesture. Something that says, ‘I am thinking about you.’ A hug or kiss when you come home. Then asking them how they are, then listening can lift a person up if they have had a bad day. You are letting them know they are important to you.
3. Do not be afraid to let them know what you need. Your needs are important too, but the other person is not able to read your mind or anticipate your needs. This goes back to communication. As you let them know what it is you need it is also good to see if there is something they need.
4. Do not put each other down, even in jest. Those little verbal slaps can sting and cause unseen wounds that will fester and eventually blow up and do a lot of damage. Jokes are funny, but be careful they the laughter does not come at the cost of hurting another. The power of life and death are held in the tongue. Speak words of life, love and encouragement; you will see a healthy growing relationship. Complain, bicker, quarrel, or insult and you will drain the life out of your relationship.
This chapter is not complete and there are still many other things we can do to make a relationship work and I will share the complete works as I continue on this project. I hope you are enjoying what I have shared so far and would love to hear any of your insights and comments. Thank you and God bless.

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]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/16/right-relations-require-work/feed/0sheppajaGenerational Curses?https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/generational-curses/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/generational-curses/#respondWed, 14 Mar 2018 03:54:53 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/generational-curses/See, there's this thing called biology...: Some people don’t like the idea of generational curses, and they misunderstand, misinterpret, “mis-feel,” Exodus 34:7, “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and…]]>

Some people don’t like the idea of generational curses, and they misunderstand, misinterpret, “mis-feel,” Exodus 34:7, “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

Okay, so most of those people are atheist bible thumpers and dimwits to boot, but some faithful Christians may well wrestle with this, too.

The myth, the myth-understanding, the emotional reaction goes something like this, what kind of an unjust God would unfairly and harshly punish the innocent offspring down to the third and forth generation? That’s not fair! Kids should not have to pay for the iniquity of the fathers! How could God be good and do something like that?

]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/generational-curses/feed/0sheppajaThe Truth Will Set You Free﻿https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/the-truth-will-set-you-free%ef%bb%bf/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/the-truth-will-set-you-free%ef%bb%bf/#respondTue, 13 Mar 2018 21:45:37 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/the-truth-will-set-you-free%ef%bb%bf/Not For Punks: I’ve had this ready for over a day now.? Due to the vagaries of life and my “day” job, I have not been able to take the time to post this, which is too bad because I thing it’s an important subject.? I’m going to start doing things a…]]>

I’ve had this ready for over a day now. Due to the vagaries of life and my “day” job, I have not been able to take the time to post this, which is too bad because I thing it’s an important subject. I’m going to start doing things a little different for now, and schedule my posts for 6:30 PM on a regular basis. Maybe this will be better than just my random post times. Also, I still have to figure out days of theweek and get more regular in my postings. Not too oversimplify, but myself and my blogging are both a work in progress. After reading this post, many of you may not want to read my writing anymore regardless of the time or the day. So, here goes nothing…

Collective murder and the lies we tell ourselves about it. Lies we still need to be set free…

]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/the-truth-will-set-you-free%ef%bb%bf/feed/0Featured Image -- 9665sheppajaGive Up That Too Small God!https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/give-up-that-too-small-god/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/give-up-that-too-small-god/#respondTue, 13 Mar 2018 13:13:34 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/give-up-that-too-small-god/Kingdom Pastor: (Note: This is the third in my Lent Series “Give It Up!” It is about the things we need to give up and not take back up at Easter) ? ? ? 2 Kings 6:8-17 The Message 8 One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, after…]]>

(Note: This is the third in my Lent Series “Give It Up!” It is about the things we need to give up and not take back up at Easter)

2 Kings 6:8-17The Message

8 One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, after consulting with his officers, he said, “At such and such a place I want an ambush set.” 9 The Holy Man sent a message to the king of Israel: “Watch out when you’re passing this place, because Aram has set an ambush there.” 10 So the king of Israel sent word concerning the place of which the Holy Man had warned him. This kind of thing happened all the time.

11 The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, “Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the…

]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/give-up-that-too-small-god/feed/0sheppajaRight Relations / Relationship Statushttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/right-relations-relationship-status/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/right-relations-relationship-status/#commentsTue, 13 Mar 2018 02:02:03 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/?p=9658Continue reading Right Relations / Relationship Status→]]>Now this is still a rough draft continuing my work on ‘Right Relations’ a lesson on learning who we are and the relationships we have. Would love your thoughts and feedback if you have any. Well here is the next installment. I hope you find something you can use in your own relationships.

Relationship Status

When filling out forms, how often do you come across your relationship status? You have to check the box next to-: Single-Married-Divorced or Widowed. On some of the social media you will even find the status of-Complicated. This one I find interesting, because to me it is a big flashing sign you are not in a right relationship. Regarding the original choices on my relationship status, tells me that I am partially defined by what type of relationship I am in. If you are a woman who is married you take on your husband’s name and are identified as his wife. There is nothing wrong with this. It is something I am in agreement with. Today you have women who keep their maiden name or hyphenate their last name with their husband’s name. Both of these I have a problem with, because to me this is telling the world you are only partially committed to your marriage. I am divorced and could have gone back to my maiden name, but I chose to keep my married name when my ex-husband divorced me even when he had petitioned the courts demanding that I changed my name. I did not keep his name as a way to hold on to our marriage. It was over and that is actually a blessing because it had been an abusive relationship. We had a daughter together and I wanted her to grow up knowing that even though I was no longer married to her father, that we shared a name. That I was not going to deny how she came into my life and that I would not abandon her.
Now back to the status check list there have been times I have wanted to create a new box and label it Bride of Christ. In Isaiah there is a verse that talks about God taking me in like a wife who had been forsaken. This as well as many other scriptures have and continue to encourage me. I am a bride of Christ, I belong to my Heavenly Father and I am proud to say this. It is a major part of who I am. It is my identity. Taking on the name ‘Christian’ tells the world I belong to Him, and that He loves and accepts me for who I am. I do not claim to be the same person I was before I entered into this relationship, but whom of us in any of our relationships, stay who we were in the beginning. As my relationship with Jesus has grown, I have grown. I am still me, but I am much better than who I was before. So this is part of the reason for me diving in deeper on learning about relationships. As I am learning more of what relationships are and who I am in these relations, I am learning and growing in each relationship I have. My relationship with God, my Heavenly Father, with Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. Also my relationships with my family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc…

This is not a complete work and I am continuing to dive in deeper, hope you enjoy my process.

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]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/right-relations-relationship-status/feed/2sheppajaHow to Develop Discipline and Unlock Your Hidden Potentialhttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/how-to-develop-discipline-and-unlock-your-hidden-potential/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/how-to-develop-discipline-and-unlock-your-hidden-potential/#respondSun, 11 Mar 2018 22:14:06 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/how-to-develop-discipline-and-unlock-your-hidden-potential/Dream Big, Dream Often: I have been struggling lately with staying motivated. I have lulls like this in life where my attention to detail wanes a bit and my excitement for my current endeavor subsides. In the past I’ve used these moments to build up my list of excuses and rationalize my…]]>

I have been struggling lately with staying motivated. I have lulls like this in life where my attention to detail wanes a bit and my excitement for my current endeavor subsides. In the past I’ve used these moments to build up my list of excuses and rationalize my quitting. But as I am getting older I am realizing the difference in motivation and discipline.

Motivation is the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. In the past I was always looking for something to motivate me, like an emotional shove in the right direction: Pumped up music, inspirational talks, stories of success, etc. But once the external hype was removed I had nothing to fall back on. So I stopped and moved on to something else. And continually failing to finish things that I started became a burden I carried around for years. It was so heavy, mostly…

]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/how-to-develop-discipline-and-unlock-your-hidden-potential/feed/0Featured Image -- 9656sheppajaRight Relations / Outlinehttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/right-relations-outline/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/right-relations-outline/#respondSun, 11 Mar 2018 22:11:19 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/?p=9654Continue reading Right Relations / Outline→]]>This is a new way I am tackling a writing project. I usually want to edit and polish a finished work before I share what I am writing. So here I am sharing my process and how i am being inspired. I have so much work to do. This subject can take me in so many different directions it is going to be fun staying on track. Considering the break from writing that I had taken it feels like I am being flooded with new ideas and thoughts and they just keep pouring out onto this screen. Well my next addition to ‘Right Relations’ is a rough draft of an outline. I hope it gives you an idea of the direction I am being lead.

Right Relations

Introduction / we relate to people every day. There are the people we relate to on a personal level. Others through daily activities, such as work, shopping, dining and ways we find entertainment, to name a few.

Define relations/relationships

List of relationships

How do we relate to one another?

Family relations

How does our earthly relationships effect our relationship with Jesus and how we view God?

What impact does our faith make in our relationships?

Healthy relationships

Intimate relationships /difference between intimate and sexual

Codependent relations

Damaged and broken relationships

Abusive relationships – not all abusive relationship are physical, and some are not even intimate.

Healing relations

Restored and reconciled

The most important relationship

How do Christians change how we relate with each other and with the world? Can we change and make a difference?

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]]>https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/right-relations-outline/feed/0sheppajaRight Relations / The Relationship Listhttps://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/right-relations-the-relationship-list/
https://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/right-relations-the-relationship-list/#respondSun, 11 Mar 2018 20:38:59 +0000http://emotionalpeace.wordpress.com/?p=9652Continue reading Right Relations / The Relationship List→]]>Well I am at work on my ‘Right Relations’ project. So I have compiled a list of some of the different types of relationships we all have. Please feel free to add to the list ones that I did not mention and tell me are these good or bad relations.

Relationship list
1. Immediate family – Parent/child – mother child – father /child father/son – father/daughter – mother/son –mother daughter – brothers/sisters
2. Grandparents – grandmother/grandfather – aunts/uncles – cousins etc…
Community
3. Babysitters, neighbors, teachers, coach,
4. Doctors, nurses, police, firefighters
5. Cashiers, waiters/waitress, store clerks, etc…
6. Business owners, managers, supervisors, coworkers, etc…
Faith based relationships
Preachers, pastors, ministers, teachers, nursery workers, prayer partners, other church members, visitors etc…
Wrong Relationships
Abusive, controlling, codependent, neglected, etc…
This is not a complete list, but it gives us something to think about. Even if you are single, live alone and have no living relatives, you still have relationships. Some are personal and intimate. Then there are the casual acquaintance and even the strangers you may meet only once but you interacted even if you never spoke a word, and then we have business relationships. I hope your relationship with those you go to church with falls into the personal relationship list.
Now think about what impact has your walk with Christ made on any of these relationships? Is Jesus a part of how you relate to all who are listed here? Can you add to this list?